Optech ILSC 2015 has been set for June 9 to 12 and the call for presentations is now open! Optech's previous ILSCs have been hotbeds of networking, discussion and education, and our fourth ILSC is promising to be the best one yet with new technologies and a brand-new venue in the heart of downtown Toronto. Professionals interested in the latest technologies, applications and best practices for lidar and imaging systems can attend technical sessions, workshops and keynote speeches by day, and then unwind with Toronto's vibrant nightlife in the evening. To register, submit an abstract, or keep up to date with the agenda, head to the official website at: www.optech.com/ilsc2015

2014 was a significant year for
Optech, and it went out with a bang as we unveiled multispectral
Optech Titan, which is more than just a new sensor, but a new type of airborne lidar! 2015 isn't letting up on the excitement either, as several orders for new systems like the technologically advanced
Galaxy have come in from old and new clients, and we announced the date for the fourth
Optech Imaging & Lidar Solutions Conference. Read on for more...

Recent News

New applications for lidar with the multispectral Optech Titan

December 2014 saw a very special announcement as we unveiled a ground-breaking new sensor, the
Optech Titan airborne multispectral lidar system. Titan's three independent-wavelength channels herald a new era in lidar applications, providing day or night mapping operations for impervious surface identification, 3D land classification, and simultaneous topographic/bathymetric surveying.

While single-wavelength lidar systems primarily collect spatial data, Titan can also determine how each target on the ground reflects light at the 532, 1064, and 1550 nm wavelengths, vastly improving automated classification through intensity combination analysis. This advance enables Titan users to differentiate vegetated and non-vegetated areas, classify land use, perform forest inventories, and more, all through the speed and accuracy of active sensing. Titan can even work across the land/water boundary, thanks to its water-penetrating 532 nm green channel and software algorithms from Optech's decades of lidar bathymetry experience.

This unprecedented flexibility of the Titan multispectral capabilities allows users to keep it in constant use, maximizing the return on their investment in the sensor system. Users can even customize their investment with options like a gyro-stabilized mount, a high-resolution in-sensor
digital camera , and waveform digitization for each channel.

Optech expands service worldwide with offices in China and the Netherlands

To improve services to customers all across the globe, Optech has planted two new offices in Shanghai (China) and Eindhoven (the Netherlands)! Customers in Asia and Europe will benefit from having Optech support personnel close at hand with fast response times and service within their own time zone.

China

899 Dongfang Rd, Pudong

Shanghai 200122

Tel: +86 21 5830 6939

Fax: +86 21 5830 5115

The Netherlands

High Tech Campus 27

6565AE Eindhoven

Tel: +32 49 6295268

Fax: +31 40 2599005

Optech personnel contribute to a good cause

Things got a little hairy at Optech last November as many staff participated in the annual
Movember fundraiser for men's health! 19 team members grew moustaches over the course of the month to see who could raise the most money in support of prostate cancer and mental health research. This year's winner was Technical Analyst Ed Melcher, whom many customers may know from their data processing training sessions, followed by Client Services Business Manager Blair Sutherland and Regional Sales Manager Jim Green.

Events and Conferences

Morocco to host North Africa lidar solutions seminar

Following rising interest in airborne and terrestrial lidar technology in North Africa's Maghreb region, Optech is happy to announce that the first technical

seminar in Morocco will take place in March 2015 in Casablanca. The seminar will focus on how Optech tools can help surveyors adopt new technologies, methodologies and workflows to address the needs of stakeholders and industry in the region. Details about the date and location will be announced soon on
www.optech.com , but interested parties can contact Nicola Scotto (
Nicola.Scotto@optech.com ) to be advised as soon as they become available!

Recent conferences roundup

Optech personnel have kept busy introducing the latest Optech systems at conferences, trade shows and forums all around the world. In Jakarta, Pan Asia Regional Sales Manager David Collison presented a paper on cross referencing
lidar bathymetry with satellite and field measurements at the
Asia Geospatial Forum on behalf of Software Development Manager Dr. Joong Yong Park. Later, attendees at
ELMF in Amsterdam heard about the
Optech Titan for the first time as VP of Advanced Technology Dr. Paul LaRocque explained how multispectral lidar systems enable surveyors to classify targets without passive sensors. To see where Optech is heading next, check out the
upcoming events and tradeshows on our webpage!

Success Stories

Aero-Graphics places first order for Galaxy

The
Optech Galaxy kicked off a flurry of interest when it was launched in October 2014, and the very first order came only a month later from Utah-based mapping company
Aero-Graphics, Inc. In keeping with their goal of staying at the forefront of mapping technology, Aero-Graphics acquired an Orion M200 sensor soon after its release in 2008 and upgraded it to the high-powered H300 in 2012. Not only does the Galaxy offer a whole new world of productivity, data quality and convenience, it also integrates with Aero-Graphics' existing gyro-stabilized mount and their
Optech CS-10000 digital camera, making for a seamless switch to the latest technology. Casey Francis, Aero-Graphics Vice President, stated that "We are excited to deploy the Galaxy into our arsenal of geospatial acquisition tools. The integration of lidar over the past six years has enabled us to meet our clients' needs much more efficiently than ever before, and the Galaxy helps enhance that efficiency by improving consistency of density and coverage in challenging mountainous areas."

Titan breaks the ice in Antarctica

The
Optech Titan multispectral lidar began its first project with six weeks of work around McMurdo station (combined topo/bathy pictured) in Antarctica.
The National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) at the University of Houston is using their Titan to
map the McMurdo Dry Valleys , a region notable for its lack of snow or ice cover due to the extreme winds that blow through it. The NCALM team plan to study the changing topography of the region.

User Commentary

A double thumbs up from a satisfied client Shane Brunker, Production Manager of
Network Mapping Ltd. with offices based in the United Kingdom

"Hello from The Ice... The Titan is mounted in a Kenn Borek Air Ltd. Twin Otter aircraft. We fly two 3.5-4.5 hr missions per day-when the weather permits... On e thing I'll say, the research community down here is VERY excited about what we're doing [with the
Titan ]. Everyone who's seen the preliminary results and images have been enthusiastic."

"
Optech LMS Professional , the software workflow to manage Optech airborne and mobile lidar data, helped us significantly in streamlining the processing, quality control, optimizing and statistical report generation during several of our large Airborne Lidar Survey projects. The efficiency of the process and the relevance of the QC tools available made the difference for us...!"

Optech Profile

Meet Jiaxun Chai, Service Engineer for Asia

In response to Asia's burgeoning demand for geospatial data, Optech is bolstering its support presence with dedicated staff in the region. Meet Service Engineer Jiaxun Chai: As the first employee at Optech's new satellite office in Shanghai, Jiaxun will provide hardware maintenance and fast, on-site support for clients in China and the surrounding area, and will also assist with technology demonstrations to show local groups what Optech systems can do for them. Jiaxun earned his Master's degree in Engineering at Virginia Tech and gained real-world expertise in remote sensing by analyzing satellite imagery during an internship at NASA and working for a survey company in the United States. Currently training with our team of Optech Services technicians in Toronto, Canada, Jiaxun will start providing enhanced support to Asian clients in early 2015.

Did You Know?

Ensure Focused Customer Service with an Extended Warranty

At Optech, we strongly believe that providing an industry-leading survey solution is only the beginning.
Optech Customer Support trains, educates and continually supports you to ensure that you get the highest return from your investment. For fast, personalized support for your system, subscribe to an extended warranty and receive:

A close relationship with Optech staff, ensuring familiarity with your issues and a focused approach

Inventoried parts at the ready to maximize your up-time

5 offices with trained and skilled staff ready to deploy anywhere in the world